The Akatsuki's New Mission
by HyugaFan
Summary: The Akatsuki want to change who they are. They are becoming the peace organisation that they originally were. But with them all being wanted criminals, will it ever work, or wil they die before they can even try?
1. Chapter 1

"True art is fleeting." Deidara said for the tenth time.

"What's the point in exploding art? No one's ever going to see it for more than three seconds with you. No, _true _art is eternal." Sasori argued.

**"Like Hiruko?"** Black Zetsu sneered.

Sasori used one of his puppets to capture the two Akatsuki members. "What did you say?"

"Would you all just shut up for five minutes?" Itachi yelled.

"What would you ever know about true art, Uchiha?" Deidara shouted back, drawing the attention of the room back to him.

The Uchiha rubbed his temples as the blonde and red-head joined forces to deafen him.

White Zetsu came running into the main room of the Akatsuki's new hideout. "Nagato! Nagato! We have company."

"Who?" Nagato asked. His voice held authority. He could grab the attention of anyone in a room by the appearance alone, but when he spoke, everyone in the Akatsuki would listen and do what they were told without fail.

"I'm not sure who, but she's from the Leaf."

"How did she find our hideout?" he mumbled to no one in particular.

"I don't think she's looking specifically for us, but it would be a disaster if she discovered us."

"I'll get rid of her." Itachi offered.

"Itachi, you were asking earlier today what the true purpose of the Akatsuki is. What it was created for. Yahiko is the founder, me and Konan are the co-founders. It was created to maintain peace, but it got corrputed over time, ever since Yahiko was murdered. You killed your Clan for the greater good of Konoha, the village that this girl is from. Do you wish for the Akatsuki to kill her, or take her in? Save her from the elements or leave her alone if you wish for her to die. She won't live long in the snow. It's your decision."

"Why give it to me? Why should I make it?"

"I want to see if the Akatsuki is truely corrupted."

Itachi knew what he had to do.

* * *

"I'll go and check up on them." Konan told the Rinnegan user.

"I'm proud of him." he said.

Konan smiled as she walked to find Itachi and the Leaf girl. She found them in Itachi's room. He was looking after her. She was unconsious.

"Why did you decide to bring her in?" Konan asked.

"I went outside to see how I felt when I saw her. She was stumbling and weary. She collapsed onto her knees and smacked her face onto the ground, into the cold snow. I knew I couldn't leave her there, so I brought her in."

"Nagato says he's proud of you. There is some hope left for the Akatsuki after all. He has called a meeting with the others. I will tend to her as I already know what it's about. You should go too. I'll see you in a while."

"Okay."

He was almost at the door when Konan asked, "What's her name? Do you know?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"In case she wakes up, then I can use her name and make her feel less intimidated by my presence."

"Her name's Hinata Hyuga. I have no idea what she was doing this far away from the village on her own."

* * *

"Dammit! Where is she?" Naruto grumbled to himself looking for the lost Hyuga. "I was given the simplest of missions, escort Hinata to the Sand Village and ensure her safe return once she had completed her mission. I had no idea we were going to get caught up in a snow storm on the way back. And now I have no idea where _I_ am, never mind _her!_" He kicked the snow in a fit of fury. "Where the hell could she have gotten to?"

* * *

The Hokage, Tsuande, was growing more and more worried that Hinata and Naruto hadn't returned. She knew that it took six days for them to get to and from Suna and Konoha, and that Hinata's mission could last anything from a week to two, but she couldn't help the feeling that they should be back now. It didn't help her nerves that she hadn't heard anything from the pair, or Gaara, updating her on the situation.

There was a knock on her door. "Come in."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, m'lady, but there's something unusual in the sky."

"Could it be from the Sand?"

"No. It's bigger than one of their birds. It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before."

They both looked out the window, wondering what this thing could be.

* * *

"You want to change the Akatsuki's ideals? You want to make us a peace organisation when we've been a criminal one for as long as any one of us can remember, excluding you and Konan." Itachi asked, bewildered.

"Yes." Nagato said.

"That's never going to work." Deidara said. "Not only are we _all_ criminals, but no one is going to believe that we are a changed group."

"We have to try. I know that it won't happen over night, but we have to do something. If we just try and do as many good deeds as possible and spread the message that we are a changed people, then people will start to believe us and, hopefully, come to us for help, instead of with a mob.

"Deidara, I want you to pass the message to the Hokage that we have Hinata and we are keeping her safe until she is strong enough to make her way back to the village with Itachi as an escort so that she won't get lost. You got that?"

"Yeah, un. I got it."

* * *

The bird got bigger as it got closer. It started to look like it was made of clay.

"Oh no." Tsunade breathed.

"What's the matter m'lady? What is that?"

"Deidara of the Akatsuki. What does he want here?" she mumbled. "Naruto!" she exclaimed answering her own question.

"No not Naruto, un." he said hovering at the Hokage's window. "I'm here to relay a message to you regarding the Hyuga girl. She's with us. But before you panic and kill me with one punch, hear me out, un. We are a changed organisation. We are looking after her, un. We could have let her die in the snow, but we brought her inside and are nursing her back to health."

"What was she doing on her own?"

"I don't know. Dying from the cold by the looks of it. Anyway, don't interrupt me, un. She's going to return when she is ready to. When she is strong enough. She'll be escorted back to the village by Itachi so could you please not kill him as soon as you see him as he was the one who had the choice to leave her to die or save her and he saved her, un. He is also going to be the one to bring her back, so he is going to ensure that she doesn't get lost again."

Tsunade and Shizune were stunned into silence.

"How do I know I can trust your word? After all you _are_ a terrorist bomber and a member of the Akatsuki."

"An Akatsuki, yes, but a terrorist bomber no longer. Was she supposed to be with someone?"

"Yes, Naruto. You know him, don't you?"

"Yeah, un. Okay, if I find him and return him to you unharmed by me, then you trust us with Hinata."

"What do you mean, unharmed by _you_?"

"Well, he's probably going to be pretty ill from the snow, and he might be a bit scraped up from the journey. He could have run into bandits or anything. You'll know if I hurt him because I blow stuff up."

"Give me your detonating clay."

"Why?"

"Just so you _can't_ hurt him."

"That completely defeats the object of trust, you know, un? That way I_ can't_ hurt him, so you'll have no idea weather I _would_ or not. Let me keep it and trust me." With that, he flew away.

_**-To be continued-**_


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata woke up groggily. She was tucked in bed, but the only problem was that she didn't remember going to bed, so where was she? She glaced around the foreign room, but the owner didn't have anything in it that would give them away. She felt uncomfortable. She was wearing someone else's clothes. She looked at them and found that she was in something that she had never thought she would be - an Akatsuki cloak! She knew instantly where she was then.

Someone opened the door and her head snapped around. The person coming in had a piercing under her bottom lip and a flower in her purple hair.

"Hello, Hinata." she said sweetly.

"H-how do you kn-know my name?" Hinata stuttered.

"Itachi told me. My name is Konan. I know that your head must be filled with questions, and I assure you that I will answer them all in due time, once I have explained myself."

* * *

Naruto had never been so close to giving up before in his life, but right now, his body was stiff with the cold and he needed somewhere warm to rest for a while. He was clinging onto whatever hope he had of finding the shy Hyuga. He believed that that was the only thing that was keeping him alive.

The sound of wings flapping was getting louder. Naruto barely noticed it.

"Hey, jinchuriki." That voice was a familiar one. And it wasn't one that Naruto particularly wanted to hear.

"Deidara?" He looked up and was looking at the belly of one of Deidara's huge clay birds.

The bird descended. "Hop on. You look half dead, un. I'll take you back to Konoha." he said bluntly.

Naruto didn't oblige.

"If you want to see the Hyuga girl again, then you'll come with me, un." Deidara added to try and tempt the boy into hopping onto his bird.

"Don't you lay a finger on her!" Naruto snarled, his eyes starting to look like those of the nine tails.

"Hey. Don't go getting all angry at me. I didn't take her. Anyway, that came out wrong, un. I made seem like we'll kill her if you don't do as we say, didn't it?"

"Mm." Naruto agreed.

"I _meant_ that if you want to see her _soon_. We're looking after her right now, un. If I take you to see her will you tell your Hokage that we mean your village and her no harm?"

"I will, _if_ you take me to see her and _if_ I'm happy with what I see. Why are you looking after her? What's wrong with her?"

"She was as close to death as you are right now. From the cold. Not because of us." he defended. "We could take you in and nurse you back to health too, there's always room for one more. What do you say?"

Naruto seriously considered Deidara's offer. He was freezing and this was the only way that he could complete his mission to ensure Hinata's safe arrival back to Konoha. "Fine."

* * *

The explanation was long and it strangly made sense. Hinata found her head warning her to get away as soon as she could, but her heart believed that they had changed. Why else would they have taken her in and looked after her? After Konan had stopped talking she asked Hinata if she had any questions, but the Akatsuki member had answered them all in her explanation. When Hinata said no, the Akatsuki member walked away and told her to shout if she needed anything. Hinata, however, had different ideas. She wasn't going to let them fuss over her. She was going to be stubborn, listening to her head instead of her heart.

Itachi walked in. It had been an hour since any of them had been in to see her. She pretended not to notice him.

"Hey." he said softly.

She turned her head and smiled at little, then blushed and turned her head away from the rogue Uchiha.

He sat on the edge of the bed. "I know that you don't believe that we've changed, but we really _are_ going to try." he explained. "As long as Nagato wants it, the rest of us will follow him. As long as he has me and Konan here to help him push us on in the hard years to come, he'll keep the faith. I'm sure of it. I just don't know how we're going to start to prove ourselves to the rest of the shinobi world."

"Y-you can't plan that sort of thing. I-it just happens. If you see a fight going on, be the peacemaker. If there's a rogue shinobi that needs to be turned in, turn him in. Just leap on any chance you can to do a good deed. That's all you can do. B-but don't think people are going to warm to you. It may never happen." Hinata told him truthfully.

"I know. But we have to try. I don't want to be known as the man who detroyed his own clan them tortured his brother with the images of his parents death any longer. I don't want the Uchiha Clan to be perceived negatively any more. I want at least one Uchiha to be known for the good he does, not the bad. But we're all rogues now it seems. We're all tainted."

"I-if you really mean what you say, then save Sasuke from Orochimaru. Present him with yourself. I know he went to Orochimaru to gain power to be able to avenge his parents. To kill you. Either offer up your own body as compensation for going back to Konoha, or offer him more power than Orochimaru. You've got an entire organisation of powerful shinobi, surely that will tempt him."

"Do you really think it will work?" Itachi asked.

"I don't see why not."

"Well, if we send Hidan and Kakuzu, he should be back without any trouble. They're the most likely to return with Sasuke than the rest of us."

"Why?"

"Hidan is immortal and Kakuzu has 5 hearts. I guess I could send Sasori and Tobi out as back up seeing as Sasori always hides inside his puppets and Tobi can make his form like a ghosts'. But I'd rather not risk four lives. Konan can't go as she needs to stay with Nagato. Nagato can't go or send any of the six paths because Orochimaru will want to obtain the Rinnegan. For obvious reasons, I can't go. He has to take me down on his own, with no help from me, so I can't just sit there and offer myself up. He would never jump on that opportunity. He would feel like he didn't get revenge if I offered myself. Anyway, I'll go and ask Nagato. Thanks for the idea, Hinata."

He got up and was at the door when Hinata said, "Itachi?"

"Yeah?"

"I-If you really want people to believe you, then help Naruto get him back. He'll be able to see that you really _are_ good people now. He'll convince Konoha."

Itachi smiled. Hinata wasn't just helping them with the hope that they _could_ change. She believed, with no proof, that they _were _changed.

_**-To be continued-**_


	3. Chapter 3

The Akatsuki's new hideout was nothing like the last one Naruto had been in. For one, it wasn't in a cave; it was a large house in the middle of the forest. How anyone could miss it was beyond him. It was plain on the outside and plain on the inside. Predictable. He was walked through vast hallways before he was lead into a large room. Not many of the Akatsuki were in the room. In fact, only one was. Sasori of the Red Sand. He was working on a puppet.

He looked up and saw the blonde pair. "Things were quiet around here without you, Dei. But now I see that you've brought another headache. Thanks." He went back to screwing the fingers into a wooden hand.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Don't mind him, he's just moody because we had an argument earlier. I would say he's not usually like this, but then I'd be lying." he said to Naruto. Turning his attention back to the red head, "Sasori, my man, where's the Hyuga girl?"

"Itachi's room. I think he's in there with her." He never looked up from his puppets as the pair walked down another long hallway. Each of the doors that lined this hallway were, Deidara explained, the bedrooms of the members. They each bore the engraved kanji of the ring that the member wore. They were looking for Shu (朱).

Of course it was at the very end of the hall. Naruto could hear Itachi's voice. Hinata's reply. He was about to burst in.

Deidara caught his arm just before it reached the handle. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" he hissed.

"Going in." Naruto wasn't so quiet, that resulted in his mouth being promptly covered by Deidara's hand. Naruto licked it, but the mouth on Deidara's palm bit him. The jinchuriki let out a muffled cry.

"You can't just barge in there. Itachi completely blows his top when someone walks in without permission. The number one rule about Itachi is if the door is closed, don't go in. You just don't. Okay?"

Naruto nodded.

"Good." the bomber released him and knocked on the door.

"Come in." came Itachi's voice.

Deidara opened the door and walked through with Naruto.

Naruto ran up to Hinata and pulled her into his strong embrace. She stiffened, shocked at the prospect of seeing him there, but she did relax into his arms.

He pulled away and held ran his hands over her body frantically, looking for any signs that the Akatsuki hadn't taken care of her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he said almost hysterically.

"I'm fine, Naruto." Hinata assured him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you're okay and to bring you home."

"You can't do that." Itachi said immediately.

"And why not?"

"Yeah, Itachi. Why not? It's not like we need her." Deidara concluded.

"Yeah we do. She's the one who's going to turn this organisation around."

"You should be able to do that on your own." Naruto said, not giving up his hold on the Hyuga.

"How?" the Uchiha yelled jumping up from the bed he was sat on. "How can we when we're all criminals? None of us are as innocent as this girl right here! She's the reason me and Konan haven't given up faith yet. She's the one who can help us think of good things to do to turn this organisation around. We _need_ her because even if we stand together and try really hard, there's no way on earth that we could possibly redeem ourselves and not revert back to type. No way..." He trailed off.

Naruto ran his fingers through his blonde hair and down his face. He thought about the position he was placed in. He didn't feel comfortable in letting Hinata stay here on her own. Hell, he didn't feel comfortable with her staying here at all!

"Fine. But I stay too. I'll even help you if that's what it takes to get her back home safely. Okay?"

"Thank you, Naruto." Itachi smiled, sitting back down.

Everyone had seemed to have forgotten about Deidara. "I'm gonna go apologize to Sasori." He walked out.

"Wow. We're even getting to him." Itachi smirked.

* * *

Sasori was where he left him.

"Hey." Deidara said as he walked in.

The puppet master looked up. He was visibly calmer than he was before. "What's up, Dei?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for before. About the argument."

"They seem to be becoming more frequent as the weeks go on. We'll end up killing each other over a simple opinion."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Deidara laughed. Things were getting better between the pair.

"But I _am_ right." Sasori finished.

"_Sasori_!"

Maybe not...

_**-To be continued-**_


	4. Chapter 4

"Hidan. I need a favour." Itachi told the Jashinist.

"What?" he snapped.

"I need you and Kakuzu to go on a special mission with the Uzumaki kid."

"What kind of mission?" Hidan asked skeptically.

"Sasuke retrieval." the Uchiha replied bluntly.

"You're insane." the silver haired man said accepting the fact that the Akatsuki was slowly losing its mind. "Sasuke will kill you the first chance he gets! Do you have a death wish or something?" he screamed.

"That's a risk I'm going to have to take. We need to gain Naruto's trust. If that means that I'm risking my own life to do so, then so be it. It proves we're genuine about changing."

"That isn't going to happen over night, you know. Deidara was right in saying that we're all criminals. None of us have morals bar a few. Why are you trusting me and Kakuzu to do this anyway? Have you seen how heated some of our arguments can get. We _always_ end up trying to kill each other! What makes you think you can trust us to bring both Sasuke and Naruto back alive?"

"You'll not kill excessively like you normally do or else." Itachi warned, his voice dangerously low.

"Or what? We're changed aren't we?" Hidan teased.

"If you go around killing people, you will be classed as rogue ninja that are too dangerous to live. Therefore, I will have no choice but to eradicate you completely." Itachi's voice had taken a dangerously low tone.

"Are you forgetting that I'm immortal?" Hidan jibed.

"That's true, and some people may think of that as a hindrance, but I see it as a good thing. If you kill people aimlessly, then I'll torture you so intensly that you'll be begging for death."

* * *

Naruto refused to leave Hinata's side. He was worried about her and the position she had been forced into by that _Uchiha_. The name Uchiha was painful for Naruto's ears. He especially hated Itachi for what he had made Sasuke, and what he was forcing Hinata to do. That man never thought about other people's welfare. It really irked Naruto that he was bending to the Uchiha's will too.

"Uzumaki." a man called through to Itachi's room. A head appeared around the door. The man had slicked back silvery hair and magenta eyes. He was the owner of the voice; Hidan. "We're going." he stated and left the blonde with the purple haired Hyuga.

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked in that sweet, high pitched voice of hers.

"I have no idea." He followed the immortal out of the room and down the impossibly long corridor.

* * *

Naruto was with Hidan and Kakuzu when he suddenly stopped and shouted, "Stop! Where are we going?"

Both the Jashinist and money-lover turned to face the exasperated boy.

"Did Itachi not tell you?" Hidan asked obviously shocked.

"No. I wouldn't be asking otherwise, would I?"

"We're going to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha. Just for you, Uzumaki. Don't make us regret our choice." Kakuzu glared at the young ninja.

"Jeez. Okay, okay. I just wanted to know where we're going. That's all." Naruto took an involuntary step back.

The two Akatsuki members turned their backs to him and continued walking.

* * *

Orochimaru's hideout was the very same one that he was in at the time of Sasuke's 'abduction'. It was easy enough for Hidan and Kakuzu to find. Naruto, on the other hand, wouldn't have found it so easily. Maybe never. It was a large dojo that descended slightly into the ground. There were two snakes carved into the wood. They were painted red so that they stood out.

"Sasuke's on the other side of that door." Kakuzu stated.

The trio moved forward, walking down the slightly sloped steps.

Hidan drew the scythe from his back reflexively. Naruto pulled out a kunai. Kakuzu did nothing except walk. They entered a poorly lit corridor. The candles that provided the pathetic illumination flickered, casted strage shapes from the ninja's shadows. The whole place was deathly quiet excpet for the light thudding of the ninja's footsteps. It was creepy to say the least. All three were on edge, even if the Akatsuki members didn't show it.

The corridor seemed endless. The flickering shadows made Naruto jump on more than one occasion as he thought that he saw someone. Someone who he didn't particularly want to see.

A snake hissed.

"What was that?" Naruto exclaimed whirling around to face the snake.

"What was what?" Hidan asked, panic showing through his facade slightly. He didn't know why he was scared. He was _immortal_ for God's sake. There was nothing in this world that could kill him, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel pain...

Kakuzu surveyed his surroundings. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. "You're both fretting for no reason." He continued on.

Hidan and Naruto hurried after him.

"I swear I heard a snake." Naruto said catching up to Kakuzu.

"I heard nothing."

"So that means it's not there?

"Yes."

Naruto muttered to himself. Then he heard it again. "Stop." he whispered sharply. "Listen."

The hiss.

Hidan spun around. He saw the serpant. It was a huge thing. How had they missed it before? It had purple scales and huge fangs and an even longer tongue.

"Manda." Hidan breathed. "Kakuzu. Take Naruto and get the hell out of here. Things are going to get ugly." He gripped the three bladed scythe tighter. His knuckles turning white.

"You heard him." Kakuzu said joining his partner's side. "Go, Naruto. Find your friend. We'll be fine here."

Seeing the pair working together, risking their lives to ensure that he saved Sasuke, made him think maybe they weren't so bad after all...

_**-To be continued-**_

**I'm going to apologise now if Kakuzu and Hidan were out of character. I have never seen them in the anime or read about them in the manga, so I have no idea what their personality traits are. Lots of research went into this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. R&R **


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto ran. There was nothing else he could do. He would just be getting in the way if he tried to fight alongside the determined pair. He ran the length of the infinate corridor. He didn't know where he was going and he had no idea if he could fight off more trouble on his own, but he had to find Sasuke. He _had_ to. He came across a door. There was a metallic snake that coiled around a silver hoop. A door knocker. The door itself was very elaborate. There were carvings of snakes delicately painted red with gold rims. It was very beautiful.

Naruto placed his hand on the doorknob. It was the only plain thing sight. It was cold to the touch. Naruto shivered slightly as he twisted the knob and pushed the door open. He closed it behind him with a soft click. He was alone.

The room consisted of a few wall hangings - scrolls - with the kanji written on them for snake, toad and slug. The three symbols of the Legendary Sannin. It too, like the hallway, was lit by candles. Naruto could barely see the figure sat up in the white bed. His hair was long and sleek and fell over his pallid face. His eyes were yellow, the pupils were black slits. Orochimaru.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto demanded.

Orochimaru didn't seem bothered by the boy's presence. In fact, he hardly seemed to acknowledge him at all. He simply turned his head to face the angry jinchuriki.

"Sasuke?" he hissed. "Sasuke is not to be seen. He's training with Kabuto. Please do not disturb him."

Naruto's teeth began to grow into fangs. His eyes started turning red. The beast was immerging.

Orochimaru smiled. He got up out of the bed and walked over to the boy. "Now, now." he purred. "It's been a long time since I've seen this transformation. I do not care for it a second time, no matter how amusing the first." he stated.

"I'm going to take Sasuke back!" Naruto yelled. "You'll never lay your hands on him again!"

"What makes you so determined to think that I'm the bad guy? Sasuke came to me willingly. He gave his body to me. He is mine wholly." Orochimaru's smile had gotten more malevolent.

"No he _isn't_!" Naruto screamed. "He doesn't belong to anybody! Don't you get that?"

"Temper temper, Naruto." Orochimaru seemed unfazed by Naruto's outburst. He didn't see the boy as a threat.

Naruto swung a punch at the snake's head, but it was easily dodged. Naruto was becoming blinded by his anger at the snake. His anger at Sasuke for running away. His anger at Itachi for making his younger brother what he was today. His anger at everything. He attacked, the fox's cloak enveloping his body. Taking on Kyuubi's form. Things were about to get interesting.

* * *

Itachi was worried about Naruto and Sasuke. No one could predict his little brother's actions. He was also worried about Hidan and Kakuzu. Yeah, they were the hardest to kill, but that would make them appealing for Orochimaru. Especially seeing as he craved immortality. Hidan would have to watch his back and be careful about not getting experimented on. Orochimaru would also be entranced by the fact that Kakuzu possessed five hearts. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Hinata seemed to share he same thoughts, as she had started to confide in him. "I shouldn't have suggested it. I would hate myself if anything were to happen to any of them." she had said.

They had spoken about it for a while before they came to the conclusion that Naruto, Hidan and Kakuzu needed backup. He set out with the rest of the Akatsuki bar Konan. Hinata was their priority, their ticket to a better life, and she had to be protected.

White Zetsu had cloned himself and sent his clones ahead to scour the area for any signs of the trio.

After a while, he said, "It's not too far away now. I'd say about 100 yards south." White Zetsu informed the group. "We need to keep our guards up at all times. You never know what tricks Orochimaru has up his sleeve. Got that? Keep in formation."

The group nodded. Zetsu and Pein lead the way, followed by Itachi and Kisame, at the back, Deidara, Sasori and Tobi.

They reached the hideout and were greeted by the sounds of grunting and hissing. They walked calmly into the hideout and down the impossibly long corridor. It was then that they saw Manda.

* * *

Hidan swung his scythe at the giant, purple snake with all his might, but the snakes scales were like armour. They wouldn't break. Kakuzu used his Earth Spear technique, but again, it did nothing. Hidan saw small shapes dart around the snake, he instantly went to attack them. He struck one, sending it flying into the wall. He saw a flicker of yellow disappear behind the serpent and realised who he had hit. Deidara. He loked closer at the shapes and saw that they were the Akatsuki. What the hell were they doing here?

Sasori went to aid his fallen partner. Hidan heard the soft mufflings of conversation and then they both appeared from behind Manda and stood by the Jashinist.

"Next time," Deidara said, "look who you're hitting." Blood was leaking from the gash in his stomach, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. There were more pressing matters at hand. Like fighting Manda.

"Kakuzu." Sasori barked. "Deidara's no use to us wounded. Stitch him up and get back here as soon as possbile."

Kakuzu didn't argue. He was glad to be getting a break from fighting the invincible snake. He grabbed Deidara by the arm and left the hideout.

Itachi didn't pause to fight the snake. He and Kisame went straight to look for Naruto.

_**-To be continued-**_


	6. Chapter 6

Itachi was worried about the jinchuriki. He had no idea who he would encounter on his own, or whether or not he could fight anything off on his own. If something happened to him, the Akatsuki would be dragged into a full scale war with Konoha. Hinata wouldn't back them, especially if Naruto was killed whilst on their watch. How could those idiots Kakuzu and Hidan let the boy wander around the hideout on his own? Did they not realise the immediate danger he would be placed in as soon as he left their sight? He was a _boy_ for God's sake! Itachi was going to have some serious 'words' with them if they ever made it out of this alive.

The hideout put Itachi and Kisame on edge. _Anything_ could be hiding in the shadows and, knowing Orochimaru, anything probably was. The hallway grew ever more quiet as they drew further away from the snake and the rest of the Akatsuki.

"There." Kisame said suddenly, breaking the almost silence. He was pointing at a door.

Itachi slowed his paced and walked over to it, Kisame hot on his heels. Itachi braced himself for what he would potentially see and pushed the door open. He walked in. It was dimly lit, like the rest of the hideout, but this room was near pitch. It unnerved the Uchiha. Kisame pulled Samehada off his back and gripped it tightly, his knuckles turning white.

A sinister laugh echoed ricocheted off the walls. The laugh was deep and Itachi was certain that it came from deep within the man's throat. It was a voice that Itachi recognised straight away. Sasuke.

"Little brother?" he called into the darkness.

"You thought you could waltz in here and leave _alive_?" Sasuke's voice said in a different direction to the laugh. "You're more of a fool than I gave you credit for."

"Says the one who can't kill me." Itachi retorted trying to keep himself together. He didn't think it wise to fight what he couldn't see. He stayed perfectly still. "Sasuke, you'll never have enough hate to kill me. You'll never be strong enough."

"A few years ago, you may have been right. But what do you think I've come all this way for? Did you really think it was because I liked the old snake's company?" He paused. When no reply came, he continued, "I'm a stronger ninja than I ever was in Konoha. Orochimaru granted me that power."

"In return for what? You're body? What are you going to do to me if you're him?"

"But that's just it. You're right here in front of me. I'm going to kill you and your pathetic organisation slowly and painfully. Uzumaki, Kabuto and Orochimaru as well. When you destroyed my clan, I thought I should just kill you and rid the world of the scum you are, but then I realised that I was wrong. You should be forced to suffer the way you made me suffer. The way the Uchiha clan suffered. But there's no need to prolong my long awaited revenge." He emmerged from the shadows.

* * *

"Let me go!" Deidara yelled once they were out of the hideout, yaking himself from Kakuzu's grip.

"Shut up, Deidara. I have to sew you back up." Kakzuz stated growing impatient.

"I'm fine. Let me go back in there!" he demanded.

"Once I sew you back up! Shut up and let me work. The easier you are, the quicker you can get back in there!"

Deidara reached into his weapons pounch which contained his detonating clay. One of the mouths in his hands started to chew it.

"Don't you even _dare_ think about blowing me up with that stuff." Kakuzu warned.

"I'm not. I'm preparing my art so that when I get back in there, Manda can be taken out with a beautiful bloody bang." the bomber smiled.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "Take you're cloack and shirt off." he ordered.

Deidara complied. He winced as he pulled his shirt over his head, as he was stretching the gash, opening it further. His wound was large and deep, yet the blonde seemed to be ignoring it quite well. He discarded his clothes onto the ground and let Kakuzu sew him up.

* * *

"Is this snake never going to die?" Hidan yelled frustrated. "And where's Uchiha and Kisame gone?"

"It looks like this thing isn't going to be taken down easily." Sasori said. "I'm gonna pull out all the stops to kill this thing. I don't care about where the others are right now." He pulled out a scroll with the kanji for 'three' written on it.

"I thought that guy was destroyed a couple of years ago." Hidan stated.

"It was nothing I couldn't fix." the sand ninja dismissed. The puppet body of the Third Kazekage appeared from the scroll. "Stand back guys, you don't want to get hit by this attack. IRON SAND!"

A cloud of floating black sand dripping in poison emmerged from the inside of the Third's puppet. Pein, Zetsu and Tobi stayed out of the way. Hidan on the other hand stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" Sasori hissed angrily.

"I'm immortal, remember? Don't worry. I can help."

"You'll just be a hindrance. Get out of the way or this will never work."

"Hidan," Pein said, "Just get out of the way. Let's go and help Itachi. Deidara and Kakuzu will be back soon enough to help Sasori."

Hidan was reluctant to leave the red head alone with the virtually indestructable snake.

"Come _on!_" Tobi yelled.

He left.

* * *

The second tail had started to appear. Orochimaru's smile never left his face. He opened his mouth and half coughed up a sword. He ran at the jinchuriki aiming stright for the boys heart. The Nine Tails cloak formed a fist and punched the snake in the mouth making him choke on the sword. Orochimaru coughed it fully up and snarled at the orange ninja.

Snakes errupted from his mouth and attacked the boy. Naruto batted most of them away, but a few penetrated he cloak and snagged at his skin with their teeth. He howled in pain and thrashed around wildly hitting anything that got too close. Orochimaru jumped back, calling off the snakes. He had to find a way to suppress that chakra before Naruto actually hit him with a fatal blow.

_**-To be continued-**_


	7. Chapter 7

"Why isn't it working?" Sasori yelled. The iron sand attack hadn't even fazed the large snake. Manda was almost smiling.

"This is what the great Akatsuki can do? It is pathetic." Manda snarled. "Just accept defeat and jump into my mouth."

Sasori would have been breathing heavily if he hadn't given up his human body for that of a puppet. He didn't want to resort to using hundreds of puppets at one time to kill this thing as it would drain him of his chakra, but if he had to he would.

The snake lunged forward and almost bit Sasori's arm off. Sasori was frantically thinking of how he could kill this snake, but nothing was coming to mind. He was going to die.

Manda hissed and opened his mouth wide. He was going to swallow Sasori whole.

The red head saw a flash of yellow jump into the mouth of the snake and it was consumed. Sasori was safe for now, but there was only one person he could think of who that could be. Deidara. His blonde companion had just given his life to momentarily save that of his partner.

An explosion shook the room. The snake was blown to pieces. Sasori watched astonished. He couldn't believe that Deidara had just used _that_ jutsu. He had blown himself up to save the lives of the others. He had no idea Deidara could be so selfless.

"The look on your face when you thought I was dead."

Sasori looked up and saw Deidara and Kakuzu.

"It was a clay clone, dumb ass. I wouldn't kill myself that willingly." Deidara smirked.

"I hate you. Don't ever do that again." Sasori warned.

"What? Save you? Fine."

"Scare me." Sasori corrected.

Kakuzu burst out laughing. "You two really do care about each other. Behind all the quarrels there must be some love." he choked between laughter.

Both members ignored him. All three continued through the hideout.

* * *

Itachi was shocked at how much his brother had grown whilst he had been with Orochimaru. He was more developed and toned since he had last seen him. The fire in his eyes was real, but what did it mean? Did Sasuke really have enough hate to be able to kill him? Maybe. Itachi smiled, this was going to get interesting.

"Samehada's hungry. Shall we get started?" Kisame asked smiling malevolently.

Itachi activated his Sharingan at the same time as Sasuke.

"Stay out of it, fish. This is between me and this bastard. It has nothing to do with you." Sasuke ordered.

"Sasuke's right, Kisame. Stay out of it." Itachi agreed.

"But the mission-"

"Doesn't matter right now, this is between us. Nothing else."

"And nothing is going to stop me from getting my revenge this time." Sasuke finished.

Kisame refused to leave his partner's side, whatever the case. He seemed to be the only one who had kept sight of the mission. They were here to retrieve Sasuke, not kill him. If they failed, then they could have a full scale war on their hands...providing they survived.

"I'm not leaving." Kisame protested.

The brother's both sighed and turned to face him. They wore identical expressions on their faces. They both wanted this fight and he was getting in the way. Itachi had always told him that the best way to get rid of a pain was to remove it. Permanently. According to the look on his face, Sasuke believed the same thing.

The brothers exchanged a look. Kisame didn't like that. Their Sharingans had changed shape, they were going to kill him. He gripped Samehada's hilt tighter and tried to get them to back off. Samehada was practically vibrating with hunger. It sensed the immense flow of chakra and wanted to rip the sources to pieces.

He let Samehada go. It shot off like a rocket, trying to kill anyone that possessed a significant amount of chakra. It went to Itachi first, but the older Uchiha had had plenty of run ins with the blade and he dodged easily. He almost laughed. His undivided attention hadn't switched to the sword, it was still fixed on Kisame.

"Call it back and leave and you won't have to get hurt, Kisame. Do the smart thing." Itachi said.

"I am. You're just too far gone into your feud to see it."

The sword next went to the younger Uchiha who copied his brother and dodged it. Kisame knew that Samehada wouldn't stop until it got what it wanted. They could dodge all they liked, but they would soon tire and Samehada will be able to feast as it wished. He just hoped that Itachi had the most chakra so that Kisame wouldn't be in the depths for killing the person they were supposed to be rescuing.

But Samehada did something unexpected. It wasn't going for either of the boys. It was going through them to get to who it really wanted.

The screams were heard before the person was revealed. Blood sprayed from the shadows and stained the floor.

Samehada returned to Kisame's hand, leaving the fish and his partner confused. The determination that seemed to possess the Uchiha brothers had disappeared. Itachi was left thinking about what he was going to do and how stupid he was and Sasuke was left feeling cheated of his revenge by that fish and the dead man. Kisame was confused.

"Who was that?"

* * *

Naruto got angrier and angrier the more the fight dragged on. The last time Orochimaru fought this cloak he had to run. A malicious smile spread across his face.

He darted past the fox and out of the door. If he was going to go down, he was going to take everybody in this sorry place with him.

Naruto howled in frustration and followed the snake.

Orochimaru ran laughing through the corridors of his hideout. Naruto came crashing in. He smacked into the wall and it splintered into little pieces. Naruto emerged from the wreckage that he had made, shook his head, and carried on down the corridor.

Orochimaru went through the nearest door he found. He slammed it behind him and placed his body against it catching his breath. Sasuke, Itachi and Kisame whirled around to see who the intruder was. Their faces remained neutral when they saw who it was.

"Where's Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked.

Sasuke pointed to the shadows. "He's dead."

Orochimaru laughed. A fist pounded through the door, missing Orochimaru's head by inches.

"He's here."

Orochimaru opened the door and Naruto bounded in. He thrashed wildly hitting anything and everything within range. Itachi was the first to feel the full extent of the cloak's strength. He was thrown into the wall and pinned there by Naruto. Naruto let go and swung at Sasuke. The younger Uchiha dodged and Itachi, who was no longer being held to the wall, fell face down. Naruto howled and Orochimaru laughed. Samehada was starting to get excited again. Kisame saw this as an opportunity to fight the jinchuriki and fuse with his beloved blade.

He started to fuse with Samehada and the result was ghastly and very noticeable. He grew fins and webbed hands and became much more shark-like in appearance than he did previously. He grinned with the power that was inhabiting him. He ran straight at Naruto. He placed his hand on the gennin's forehead and the cloak started to decrease. He was using Samehada's chakra absorption powers to contain Naruto's chakra.

But he didn't stop when all of the cloak's chakra was gone, instead, he became more hungry. "Is this all the Nine Tails has?" he yelled. "We'll see." He started to absorb more and more chakra. Naruto was completely unconscious.

_Wake up, kid. Don't go like this! If you die I do too! _The Nine Tails shouted from within his vessel, but no one heard him. He was starting to panic.

Kisame was draining them both simultaneously at the same rapid speed. Everyone watched him in horrified awe. No one made a move to stop him. He was going to kill Naruto.

_**-To be continued-**_

**A/N I know I have been a really long time in updating but I had writer's block and then I had my exams, but I should be able to update more regularly from now on. I'll try for once a week. Thanks for reading. R&R :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto's mind was completely blank. He didn't have enough energy to fight back. He didn't know what was happening, he couldn't understand why he was getting weaker and weaker. He didn't know why he had suddenly lost the surge of power that he had felt just moments ago.

The Nine Tails was completely shocked that he was being drained so quickly. He had been up against Samehada before, but nothing this bad. Something or someone had always interjected, but things weren't looking good now.

Itachi and Sasuke watched the scene unfold, both dumbfounded. Itachi had never seen Kisame get this carried away in a fight. He knew that he should do something, but doing so meant touching Kisame, which was not a good idea seeing as he was fused with Samehada. He had to find a way around this, but he couldn't see anything he could do without risking, and or ending, his own life.

He stood back and hoped that Kisame would be satisfied before he ended the boy's life. He knew that this thought was a very long shot, as Samehada usually claimed the life of it's victim before it was satisfied, but it comforted Itachi's guilty soul.

Sasuke's emotions were torn between amused and...sadness? He didn't want Naruto to die, but if he did, he wanted to be the one to end the blonde's life. After the fights they have had, it was the least he could do for Naruto; kill him before someone who he hated could. He pulled out his sword.

* * *

Sasori, Deidara and Kakuzu were roaming the halls almost aimlessly. They hadn't encountered anything else for a while now, but they were still on their guard. Deidara thought that if he didn't stay on his guard, then something would jump out of the shadows and kill him. He had no doubts about that.

"Where's Hidan?" Kakuzu asked out of the blue.

"I sent him away, he was going to get in the way of my iron sand attack." Sasori filled in.

Kakuzu sighed. "You let idiot wander off on his own?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I know he can't die, but whatever he breaks I'll have to fix. He will always get into a fight when no one's there to reign him in. And even if there is someone to control his actions, he'll still be too reckless. Did I tell you that he got himself beheaded before? Guess who had to sew that back on."

"Oh."

Deidara laughed at his partner's bad move. He was also laughing at the prospect of a headless Hidan. Whenever Hidan got on his nerves, be could just kick the head away from his sight and earshot. He thought that would be a definite improvement.

"What are you smirking about?" Kakuzu asked sharply at the blonde bomber.

Deidara shook his head, trying not to laugh even more. "Nothing."

Screams were heard up ahead. Kakuzu recognised it and ran towards the sound mumbling, "That idiot."

* * *

Hidan didn't appreciate the sword in his shoulder. He hoped that after he had saved the boy, he would take notice and thank him for taking a _sword to the shoulder_.

"Don't you touch him." Hidan warned the young Uchiha who put the blade in his body.

Sasuke grunted in frustration as he tried to pull the sword out. Hidan pushed the sword deeper in to further anger the boy, before he pulled it out himself and expertly took it from the Uchiha's grasp.

He gave the sword to Itachi for safekeeping. "Wish me luck." he whispered.

"What are you going to do?" Itachi asked just as quietly.

"Save the boy."

Itachi took a moment to think of what that meant, "Hidan, no!"

But it was too late. Hidan had gone up to Kisame and rugby tackled him away from Naruto. As soon as he touched the shark, however, his chakra started to drain out of him. He felt his energy deplete, but he kept the pressure on Kisame.

"Take the boys and get out of here, Itachi." he yelled to his comrade.

Kisame thrashed wildly underneath Hidan's weight.

Itachi scooped up Naruto, grabbed Sasuke's arm and ran. He stumbled into Kakuzu, who he thrust Naruto upon.

"Let's go. Orochimaru won't be too far behind us."

Kakuzu adjusted Naruto into a more comfortable position and said, "Okay."

Sasuke struggled to break free of his brother's cast iron grip, but Itachi wouldn't let go.

Kakuzu and Itachi ran, making their way back to the Akatsuki hideout.

* * *

They were forgotten about. They had scoured the area ahead of their comrades, but they were left behind to face whatever Orochimaru had left up his sleeve to keep them contained for his experiments. Pein was not happy that he was left behind. Zetsu, of course, was the one who informed him of the situation.

Pein kind of thought that this was going to happen as the rest of the Akatsuki would be trying not to get themselves killed and do the mission properly. But if he was completely being honest with himself, he had to say that he was reeling in his anger because of Itachi. If it wasn't for him showing that the Akatsuki had a chance of achieving their original goal, the one Yahiko envisioned, then he would have continued on the wrong path. Thinking about his former comrade and what he died protecting, was something to make him more determined to fight against the bad people in the world. Fight for the end of all suffering. He realised that he had gone about that the complete wrong way. He thought that if he recruited the worst of the worst, the strongest criminals he could, then he would be able to think like them, and he would be able to eliminate them.

"Let's go." Pein said. He started to make the way back to their hideout.

* * *

Hinata was with Konan. She had recovered from the freezing encounter that she had been through and was getting used to the company of the Akatsuki woman who had nursed her ever since she came here. She had even got to see Nagato himself once. He was nice enough. Nothing like how she expected him to be though.

She and Konan were in the main room of the hideout. They had been waiting for the boys to come back for three days. They didn't know where they were, and they didn't even know if they had found the hideout. Hinata was trying not to worry about them, but she couldn't help it as one of them was Naruto himself. She care-d about him and didn't want him to get hurt.

"When do you think they will get back?" she asked the female Akatsuki member.

"I don't know. Sometimes they can be gone for weeks and then I find out that they've not even completed their mission. Most likely, they are trying to find the hideout, they will mostly probably fail and come back with nothing. They'll be completely-"

Kakuzu stumbled into the hideout with an unconscious Naruto in his arms. Itachi and Sasuke came in shortly after followed by Deidara and Sasori. Hinata sprang up and ran over to Naruto.

"What happened? Is he okay?"

Kakuzu ignored her and walked through to Itachi's room, as it was the closest, and laid him down on the bed. "I need medical help now!" he yelled.

Konan and Hinata were by his side instantly, but neither had the kind of medical expertise it took to save him. They had to think fast if they wanted to keep him alive.

_**-To be continued-**_


	9. Chapter 9

Tsunade and Shizune were worried about Hinata and Naruto.

"Do you really think Naruto and Hinata will come back unharmed?" Shizune asked her superior.

"With them being the Akatsuki, I have no idea whether they even have Hinata and Naruto. But if they do, they most probably won't return at all." Tsunade replied bluntly. "I truly don't think that they'll be okay."

There was a familiar flapping sound outside the Hokage building. It was getting louder, signalling the fact that it was nearing. Tsunade and Shizune rushed over to the window as they saw Deidara approach. He was alone.

He swerved the bird away from the building and both the Hokage and her assistant rushed out of the building to pursue him. They followed him all the way to the hospital. He landed the bird and jumped off before running in. The pair were after him like a missile. They couldn't have him hurting the patients.

They caught him up and saw him approaching Sakura. Sakura, as of yet, was unaware of the Akatsuki member nearing her.

"DEIDARA!" Tsunade yelled startling the bomber.

He spun around, but the sudden outburst from the Hokage grabbed the attention of Sakura. She took the opportunity whilst he was distracted to punch him in the back of the head, sending him sprawling across the floor. Tsunade ran after him and started raining her own barrage of punches down on him. Deidara wasn't given a moment to fight back. He cowered on the floor and tried to protect his face. Sakura joined back in whilst Shizune was watching worried. Not so much for the man himself, but what may come to pass concerning Naruto and Hinata if he is too badly damaged.

"M'lady, forgive me, but what would happen to, well, the other two, if we hurt him too much?" she asked tentatively.

Tsunade paused, but kept her weight on him to hold him down. Sakura, being unaware that Naruto and Hinata were with the Akatsuki stopped and looked confused at Shizune and Lady Tsunade, then back at the bleeding Deidara.

"What's going on?

* * *

Hinata was by Naruto's side. He wasn't moving. She had hold of his hand and squeezed it slightly to try and stimulate a reaction out of him, but he remained motionless. She placed her head on his chest and a tear escaped her eye. She could barely feel the rise and fall of his stomach. She stayed there, softly crying onto him.

Itachi opened the door and looked in. He was accompanied by Kakuzu and Konan. The three went unnoticed by the Hyuga. Kakuzu broke away from the group and left them with the pair in their care.

He went to look for Sasori. He knew he had to do this no matter what. There was no way the Akatsuki could continue their mission if he stayed as he was. He knew how much this change meant to Nagato and the rest of the members and he couldn't be the one to prevent them from reforming the organisation.

"Sasori, I need your help with something." he said.

The puppet master looked up from his newest creation. "What is it?"

"Kill me."

* * *

"Where's Hinata?" Neji wondered out loud. He was with Lee and they were taking a break from training. Well, Neji was. Lee was restless.

"What was that, Neji?" Lee asked kicking a tree.

"What? Oh, I was just wondering how long Hinata and Naruto were going to be on their mission. They've been quite a while now, haven't they? Almost a month."

"Yes." Lee said as he kicked the tree. He came and sat down next to his partner. "It has been a long time, but they have had to go all the way to the Sand Village and they had to ensure that Gaara knows exactly what the Leaf is proposing."

"And that is?" Neji prompted.

"Oh, they were sent to keep the peace between our nations. But I feel that shouldn't be a problem as Naruto and Gaara are best friends and no one can dislike Hinata as she does not have a bad bone in her body. It was just an annual peace mission. Nothing more. But even so, they should be back."

"Yeah. I still think it was a mistake for Lady Tsunade to allow Hinata to go with only Naruto. Not only do ninja usually go on missions with a three man squad plus a jonin or chunin, but Naruto is the Number-One-Knuckle-Head-Ninja of Konoha. He's not good enough to protect Hinata, and she can't really look after herself either."

"Neji I think that you are underestimating them. Hinata is stronger than she looks and, if she trains with you which I know she does, she is bound to get stronger. As well as that, Naruto is training to become Hokage and he has the unbelievable ability to never give up. He knows the Rasengan as well as Shadow Clone Jutsu. They will be fine together." Lee defended his comrades.

"I'm just worried for them. Hinata is like my little sister and she's been gone for a while." Neji said.

Lee smiled at the elder Hyuga. "If it makes you feel any better, we could ask the Hokage if we could go to the Sand Village to look for them."

"Thanks, Lee, but I think we should train some more."

"All right. Let us train some more."

_**-To be continued-**_


	10. Chapter 10

'What's going on?' was the question Sakura had asked in the hospital. She was now sat in the Hokage's office with the bomber and her question had still not been answered.

"Well!" she snapped annoyed that she was being ignored.

Tsunade tore her eyes away from the Akatsuki member and looked at her student, "Deidara claims to have Naruto and Hinata with him at the Akatsuki's hideout. We have been forced to trust him if we want to see them again."

"WHAT?" Sakura jumped up from where she was standing. The anger was apparent in her stance and facial expression. It took all of her inner strength not to punch him in the face.

Deidara, who was currently sitting next to Sakura, flinched away from her. He knew how close he was to being killed by the pink haired kunoichi.

"It's not like that," he tried.

"Oh yeah? Then what is it like?" Sakura snapped.

"Hinata stumbled upon our hideout and Itachi chose to save her from the harsh conditions that she was in when she was found. We found Naruto to initially take him back to Konoha and save him, but he refused to go without Hinata, so I had to take him back with me if I didn't want him to kill me. And then the rest of the Akatsuki would do the same thing as I would have failed to save him." He looked over to Tsunade and Sakura understood that Tsunade had sent him to bring Naruto back to her. "He would have died if it wasn't for me, by the way.

"But that's besides the point at the moment. Right now, Naruto is close to death and we can't save him. He needs a medic so we thought to come to you, Sakura, as you are his team mate and Lady Tsunade would be too busy to get to him on time. To save him, you have to come with me now and maybe we could get to him on time," Deidara explained. He just hoped that they believed him and came to save their jinchuriki.

* * *

Sasori was in shock. Kakuzu wanted him to kill him.

"Why?"

"Because, in my state, there's no chance that I'll ever redeem myself."

"What do you mean 'in your state'?" Sasori was still no closer to unveiling the truth behind his friend's reasons for suicide.

"I mean, I have to consume hearts to live. I have to kill in order to live. I will stop the Akatsuki from ever moving forward. It's either I die or leave the Akatsuki. Either way I'll be killed, but I would rather you did so instead of an enemy."

"Why me though? Why do you want me to kill you? You're partnered up with Hidan and, I know you argue almost all the time, but you do care for each other. Deep down. So why wouldn't you want him to kill you? He's your best friend after all."

"I know, but you can kill me quicker."

Sasori didn't understand. How could he kill Kakuzu quicker?

"What do you mean?"

"You can have your puppets to impale each of my five hearts simultaneously. Hidan would have to sever them one by one. Not only would he be slower, it would be more painful on my part. Not to mention he is a masochist. For every hit he placed on me, he would to the same thing to himself. I couldn't bear to see that in my last few minutes."

The red haired puppet master looked at his friend with remorse. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't want to say it aloud. He left the room and motioned for Kakuzu to stay there. When he returned, he was followed by four of his puppets.

Sasori picked up a sword from the floor and the puppets drew their own weapons. They each had a weapon in their hands, be it a Katana blade, kunai knife, spear or axe.

"Turn around."

Kakuzu did as he was asked.

Sasori positioned himself and each of his puppets behind the man and they thrust their weapons forward.

* * *

Naruto's breathing was becoming more and more ragged. He wasn't breathing smoothly any more. His condition was worsening, much to the horror of everyone still left in the hideout.

Hinata hadn't left his side since he had become weak. As soon as Naruto's breathing became serrated, she panicked and ran out of the room to fetch Itachi. The elder Uchiha came through as soon as he could, closely followed by his younger brother.

"What should we do?" she asked hurriedly the alarm apparent in her voice.

"Hope that Deidara gets back with Sakura soon, or else Naruto's going to die." Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who spoke.

Hinata and Itachi looked at Sasuke for the first time since they arrived back at the hideout.

"There's nothing we can do for him now."

* * *

Hidan had finally managed to get Kisame off of him and calmed him down. He had detached himself from Samehada and was sitting in a corner feeling sorry for himself. Hidan sat down beside him exhausted from the hours he went through having his chakra absorbed by the shark who soon actually became full with the unlimited chakra reserves of Hidan.

"Are you okay?" Kisame asked Hidan's slumped form.

"I will be. Nothing can take me down," Hidan joked.

"Yeah." Kisame was feeling guilty. He knew how much suffering he had put his comrade through and he regretted it. It was maybe worse for Hidan than other shinobi as he couldn't die and he had to suffer until it was over, whereas everyone else died eventually. Hidan had to recover.

"Anyway, let's just rest up and go. The others will be back, and if they're not, they're more than likely dead," Hidan suggested.

Kisame made an affirmative noise and the pair sat in silence for a moment.

"Hidan?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I hurt anybody who I shouldn't have when I was merged with Samehada?" Kisame felt awful, but at the same time there was that inner feeling of satisfaction that he got from his fights. He knew he was a bad guy and, it was only when he was being forced to change his ways he was feeling that inner sense of good. But deep down, he knew he could never fully change.

"Naruto. And me. Don't worry about it though, you didn't hurt the prized Sasuke, and Naruto's recuperative ability is like no one else's so everything should turn out fine." Hidan said casually feeling his strength return as his chakra renewed itself.

Little did they know that Naruto's state was worsening and his chakra levels were not regenerating.

* * *

Pein and Zetsu were strolling nonchalantly through the forest, slowly making their way back to the hideout. They were not concerned about what may have happened to the other members as they showed no concern for them.

They hadn't gotten too far from the hideout when they saw Deidara's bird flying overhead. They wondered what was going on. With a look from Pein, White Zetsu split himself into two and merged into a tree nearby where the bomber was going to be flying.

"I thought you had gone," White Zetsu's clone remarked appearing from the tree and scaring the life out of the blonde.

Deidara stopped the bird and said, "I did, I guess we-"

"Forgot about me and Pein?" White Zetsu finished.

"Yeah, un, sorry about that. But-"

"Is that the Hokage?"

"Yeah, un. She and Sakura Haruno are coming with me to the hideout to heal Naruto. We need him to live. I would offer you a ride back, but it would take too long. He was in quite a bad way when I left and there was a... distraction when I arrived at the Leaf Village. I have no idea how bad he is now and I've been gone too long already." With that, Deidara flew off.

The clone returned back and merged itself with White Zetsu and the plant was swiftly informed of the situation. White Zetsu then explained everything to Pein and they hurriedly returned to the hideout.

_**-To be continued-**_


End file.
